Kristin Cavallari made waves on the MTV hit reality show Laguna Beach and, today, she is an accomplished business owner, fashion correspondent and has her own reality show called Very Cavallari. On episode 4 of Very Cavallari season 2, Cavallari speaks about her brother Michael’s (Mike) death and how his unexpected passing affected her life. In preview clips of the show, Cavallari teared up and admitted that, as a parent, she can’t imagine having a child die, let alone pass away the way that Michael did.
In December 2015, Michael Cavallari was declared missing, but he was ultimately found dead, according to People. As for how he died, the cause of death was determined to be hypothermia. Police had been searching for Michael since November 27, 2015, when his car was found abandoned on I-70 in the state of Utah. In the car, $18,000 of cash was found in a bag in the trunk. It took about two weeks to track down Michael’s body, which was at the bottom of a steep hillside, according to NBC Chicago.
When news of Michael’s death began to spread, Cavallari released the following statement to People, “We want to thank everyone for their love, support and prayers during this very difficult time. We have just been informed by the authorities my brother’s body has been found. This is a very painful time and we are still processing it all. We kindly ask everyone please respect our privacy during our time of grieving.” She also posted a heartbreaking tribute to her brother on Instagram, writing, “My heart is in a million pieces. Mikey, I could always count on you to make me laugh. You had such a good heart and will be forever missed. I’m at a loss for words but I know u are in a better place and finally at peace. I love u so much RIP.”
Last year, Kristin Cavallari appeared on Hollywood Medium to sit down with psychic medium Tyler Henry and discuss her brother. Henry told her that there was “no doubt in my mind based on all the details and validations that have come through today that [Michael] didn’t intend to end his life.” He also said that he was speaking to Michael’s spirit and that, “He’s having me acknowledge looking for a river, looking for a river. There’s this feeling of just not getting the chance to obviously do this to an area of population.”
After the reading, Cavallari said to the cameras, “That was really hard to hear because the thought of him being out in the middle of nowhere just kills me, just kills me. And I think deep down I knew that, but I’m happy that I know. That’s how I can then accept it and move on from it and come to terms with it. I would rather know than not know.” See a clip from the reading below.
On Very Cavallari, Cavallari said that her brother’s death made her feel more spiritual and she feels like her brother’s spirit is very much around. She said that when her brother’s car was found, and she knew her brother hadn’t slept, she and her family thought maybe he was just in a hotel room somewhere sleeping. Then, Cavallari said her mother became concerned and they felt that something was wrong.
Cavallari said that she was unable to go to her high school reunion when her brother died, not because of his death, but because she had just had a baby. With husband Jay Cutler, Cavallari has three kids.
Cavallari’s brother struggled with mental issues during his life and he also dealt with legal issues just before his death. He had previously been arrested for theft and a DUI. And, Cavallari’s mother told the media that Michael had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.